Keith Andrews impresses as he spoke to the media in what was his first press conference as new Brentford head coach this week.
The 44 year old says that it was two to three years ago when felt ready to be a head coach but didn’t expect to land a Premier League role so soon.
His coaching journey was deliberate, moving from assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland to club football, driven by passion and patriotism, but he acknowledges the improbability of predicting this specific role.
Andrews emphasised authenticity, stating he’ll be himself rather than emulating others like Pep Guardiola or Sean Dyche. He values the high-pressure role, relies on strong support staff, and draws from his diverse coaching experiences without copying anyone.
He received no specific assurances but trusts Brentford’s unique operational model and supportive environment, as seen with predecessor Thomas Frank. He shares a strong professional and personal bond with Frank, who offered recent advice and good wishes.
Andrews admires the squad’s potential, coachability, hunger, and balance of individual ambition with collective understanding, aligning with Brentford’s philosophy.
He’ll seek coaches with top-tier expertise and personal values that align with the club’s culture, reflecting his own reasons for joining Brentford.
An interview for the jon involved a presentation on his vision for the team’s improvement, followed by in-depth discussions. The process was rigorous, reflecting Brentford’s meticulous due diligence.
Andrews said he respected Frank’s legacy and aims to build on it authentically, focusing on the squad’s strengths and potential rather than overhauling a successful system.
Question: If someone had told you two or three years ago that that you would be heading into this season as a Premier League head coach, how do you think you would have reacted?
Keith Andrews: Two or three years ago, I knew I was ready to be head coach. Would I have foreseen it being this role at this level? Probably not realistically. But the path I’ve taken has been very deliberate to get to this stage. Three years ago, I was assistant manager for the Republic Of Ireland in a, probably like to use the word ‘project’, but it was a long part of my coaching journey, and then senior team that I was very, very passionate about. Very patriotic, cared deeply about Irish football, and I worked with someone that I have a brilliant relationship with. And there was no way I was gonna leave that, and then subsequently left to get back into the club rhythm. So the path has been long to get to this point, but to answer your question, no. Probably not.
Question: We know that there might be a couple of departures including, Christian Norgaard. Were you aware of those kind of situations before you took the job?
Keith Andrews: I think the way of the the footballing world, you always have to expect the interest in good players. I think that’s just natural. The way this football club has worked, it’s never really been a problem. Players come and and players go. That’s just the nature of it. Ultimately I want the best possible players in the building and we’ve got phenomenal players in the building that we will continue to improve and develop. And what will be will be on that front.
Question: And you’ll be sorting out your backroom staff. There’s a vacancy now for a set piece.
Keith Andrews: Yeah.
Question: Do you need a hire new one?
Keith Andrews: I got asked before, do we do we employ one? That would be quite revolutionary. I would I would suggest not to go one. Yeah. We will we will do that in due course here for sure.
Question: What sort of manager are you gonna be? I’m fascinated by the fact that you’re now gonna become world famous. I hope you’re ready for that. This is the best, you know, watch league in the world. I’m wondering how you’re gonna present yourself, what you’re gonna wear, whether or not you’re gonna be a track suited coach, a Pep Guardiola, or a Sean Dyche kind of character and how that represents what sort of coach you’re gonna be. What what kind of coach do you wanna do you wanna us to to see?
Keith Andrews: I’ll be me. I’ll be authentic. I’ll be who I am on a daily basis. That won’t change in terms of how I deal with people on a daily basis can regardless of the role that I’m in. Obviously their responsibilities are are very different to to a role I’ve just had. Very pressurised, need brilliant people around me, which I have got, and we will add to that. But yeah, I won’t try and emulate anybody. I’ve got a lot of respect for those names that you mentioned, and I’ve taken a lot from a lot of people on the journey that I’ve been on, but, I’ll be me. That’s a great answer.
Question: Phil Giles, a lot of fans were thinking that there would be a promotion from within. It’s the it’s the benefit way. Keith knows the players, obviously. But that, as Ollie suggested, leaves four roles unfilled. If Keith was part of the master plan when Thomas went, have you got a master plan to fill those roles? How you gonna do that?
Phil Giles: We’ve got a plan. It’s not a master plan, it’s definitely a plan. No. We’ve got four roles to fill. I think what we’ll do is we’ll go for, you know, one or two to begin with and then we’ll we’ll get that working and we’ll take a step back and see how that’s that’s going. The set piece one you already mentioned is an important one, you know, always have that. And obviously we’re looking for coaches who again, top coaches now who can go and develop. That’s you say, it’s always been the Brentford way.
Question: Promoting from within?
Phil Giles: We’re looking at it again. Yeah. We’re looking at all all options on the table, external, intel, exactly when we we did the process for Keith, external, internal, and we’ll make it soon. Not won’t hopefully be in the next, well, hopefully, we’ll get something maybe one or two done this week, potentially.
Question: I was just asking if, because it’s a new experience for you. Do you have sort of assurances from the club to sort of give you a bit of time and to bed in because, obviously, the Premier League is the hardest league in the world?
Keith Andrews: No assurances. Listen, I think the reality is, it’s a football club that’s been built in a certain way and has certain ways that they do things which aren’t always the norm. The support, if I look at Thomas as an obvious case, that he received throughout his tenure was was nothing but impeccable. The relationships that Thomas built up with Phil, Matt, and all the staff around that was very very connected and aligned, and I don’t see that being any different, really.
Question: And did Thomas speak to you in the last sort of weeks about wishing you luck and any advice?
Keith Andrews: Yeah. Listen. We’ve we’ve both been pretty pretty busy, But we did speak the other day. Thomas is someone I obviously have a lot of admiration for and respect for. Built up a really really good professional relationship, but also a personal relationship, and that will certainly continue. So we’ll we’ll catch you properly when it comes down a little bit.
Question: I think you touched on it in the interview already. Do you expect Christian Norgaard to to leave this summer?
Phil Giles: I think it’s more likely than not. Yeah. I think it’s pretty well documented exactly who’s interested. So, yeah, listen. If he ends up leaving and he goes to a club that perhaps has more opportunity to win things than we do and it’s towards the end of his career, I think he’s earned it because he’s been an unbelievable player for us. Fantastic six years, great captain, and a and a brilliant person. So, listen, nothing’s nothing’s done as it stands, but, I think it’s, certainly a strong possibility.
Question: Keith, just on that. I mean, how difficult will it be to replace what Norbod has brought to this record team for the last few years if he if he does go?
Keith Andrews: Yeah. Just to echo what Phil said, I think Christian’s been a really really big player for this football club. I’ve seen it first time last year, obviously, primarily in a set piece capacity. How he led, his qualities as a footballer, but probably more importantly as a person. I think he’s a top top human being. I really believe that. And will it be hard to emulate? Yeah. Probably. But it’s opportunities for others and that I know that will take the opportunity in the building.
Question: It’s to do with the appointment. Obviously, this is something you’ve thought about, planned for. I wondered what those conversations look like in terms of getting to the decision to appoint Keith as the head coach?
Phil Giles: Yes so obviously we had a little bit of a kind of an advance warning that Thomas going to Tottenham was probably gonna happen, well that was the direction of travel. So that gave us a bit of time to have a little think and decide how we’re gonna run a process. Clearly, we wanna speak to, as I’ve mentioned already, internal people first. It’s always been the way of the club, and first question, can we report from within? So he’s pretty early in that process, and he made a very strong impression, but wanted to complete the process and have that con you know, other conversations with external candidates as well. So once we got the end of that process, Keith set a very high bar and with the added advantage of things like he knows the players already, he knows how we play, he has strong ideas and how that we wanna develop that, and stuff like him and and respect him. So that’s, you know, lots of boxes ticked, so it ended up being a relatively straightforward decision in the end.
Question: He’s had multiple sort of coaching roles, I wondered what you took from all of those coaching roles that really impressed you about him?
Phil Giles: I think yeah. Not specific on the specific roles outside. I mean, Keith’s been assistant to, you know, in national level, obviously Premier League Sheffield United again that season before we came here. I think what impressed me more was the fact he actually wanted to come here and be a set piece coach. Because not many people would have done that. Most people would have maybe looked at that as a, yeah, set piece coaches are very important, but perhaps looks at it differently as being as an assistant, Keith just saw an opportunity come in, learn learn that to even more detail than he’d done it before when he’d done it previously in his previous roles, and come into a good environment and be part of Thomas’s stuff, I think that was certainly impressive because not everyone necessarily would have made that step.
Question: Yeah. 100%. And then, finally, Keith, what do you like most about this squad? I mean, it’s a promising squad. They finished tenth last season.
Keith Andrews: Yeah. I like a lot about it. Like the potential. I think all of our players are very coachable. There’s a real desire to want to get better, which again aligns to the way I think and the way the club has been built on for numerous years. There’s there’s a hunger in the squad, I would suggest. Individual ambitions, but a real understanding of the collective, which I don’t think you get in every environment.
Question: It’s been spoken about already about having to build a new coaching team to support you. As you go on a maiden voyage as a coach, what qualities and credentials would you like to have as part of your back and start?
Keith Andrews: Yeah. Really clear on that. Spoke a lot about it. Spoke about it in the initial discussions even going as far back as that. For me, there’s two aspects to it. One is the skill sets. You need to bring something where you are the top of your game, that you can provide expertise in terms of whatever role that is that we see that fits into the dynamics of the rest of the the coaching staff. And the other is the person. Personal values are really important to me in terms of how you carry yourself again aligned to the football club. It was one of the biggest reasons why I wanted a club come to the club because I felt it would be something like this, and it and it certainly proved to be the case. So it’s twofold.
Question: When it comes to actually a point in a backroom team and perhaps the information is not quite there, how do you go about that process? Is it similar or do you have a completely different way of going about it?
Phil Giles: It’s different to players. I mean, it’s not everything requires a database to be able to make a decision on this. I think with with coaching stuff, obviously, we’ve been through a lot a lot recently. Really, you need to get out there and speak to as many people as possible. Other staff who work with a coach, players who work with that coach, people who’ve maybe been in charge in the of that coach in the past, and get a real good insight into out into, you know, what they do, what makes them strong, where the where where maybe the weaker points are if there are any. I think that’s best done by, you know, using it using a network and getting out there and having conversations. I think data for coaching it’s pretty tricky. So you can have a successful head coach, but what made them successful? Did they, were they a great coach? Did they have a great crop of academy players come through? Did they get a bit lucky in recruitment? Did they have loads of money from a new owner? There’s lots and lots of reasons and it’s very hard. Did they have a great assistant who did a lot of the work? You know, that can happen also. I think it’s quite hard to really identify. You gotta go and speak to people who’ve done that and work with them.
Question: That’s a key. I just wanted to ask you about the interview process. Obviously, Brentford are very meticulous in how they do their due diligence. What was it like for you and what sort of stages did you have to go for it? What did you have to prepare?
Keith Andrews: Just a presentation basically around where I see the team and how we can improve. I think in essence, that was the initial discussion, I suppose. And from that I’ve a couple more discussions around it. So obviously that was delved into pretty deeply. You’ve been interviewing for twelve months.
Question: A lot of my questions have kinda been already asked, but it’s really refreshing to see a Premiership club, recruit from within. And, hats off to you for that. I think it’s really something to sort of take note. But just a quick one, given the legacy Thomas Frank has, obviously he’s assistant etcetera, how much of it is a kind of, and forgive me if it’s maybe a little flipper, but it’s a kind of it’s not broken, don’t need to fix it, but at the same time you got carte blanche to do what you want. Do you know what I mean? So I was just wondering how you feel about the legacy of Frank and how that’s gonna impact.
Keith Andrews: Yeah. Look. I’m so respectful of Thomas. Like, I really am. I was respectful before I came to the building. So, obviously, I’m gonna be even more respectful having worked with him for for twelve months. I think I go back to to one of the questions. I have to be me. And as part of me being me and very authentic is doing my due diligence, really understanding all the individuals in the building. I’m a big fan of coaches playing to the strengths of of the personnel that they have in front of them, rather than fixating on what they ideally want to play like. I love the way our team has played for numerous years, I love the individuals, I love the capabilities and the potential that we have got in the building. So it’s just about progressing that really.
Phil Giles: And to say on the point about, being refreshing to promote from within, Liverpool used to do it for thirty years when they are the best team around and it worked for them. I’m not sure when it fell out of fashion. What if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.
SEE MORE: Keith Andrews gives his first sit down interview as Brentford’s new head coach
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